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People First at the J. Bookwalter WineryJ. Bookwalter Winery exudes excellence in every facet of business, from farming to food—and spectacular wines await the effort.
Photos courtesy of J. Bookwalter Winery
A look inside The Woodinville Tasting Studio.
“ Yes we need to make a living at this, but without our tasting room guests, we simply do not exist.”
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Sixteen years ago, John Bookwalter joined his family’s Washington-based winery to begin a new, exciting chapter for Bookwalter wines. With California wine pioneer Zelma Long as his guide, he fine-tuned the winemaking style, and soon the name Bookwalter was cropping up in wine publications. In 2005, it was named Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest.
In the spring of 2009, John partnered with winemaker Claude Gros. Claude has earned great respect from Robert Parker, who considers him one of "two of the finest winemaking consultants." John couldn’t agree more, pointing to the fact that Bookwalter wines routinely receive high scores. Recently, two of the wines were lauded on Seattle Met Magazine’s list of Top 100 Washington Wines: the 2010 J. Bookwalter Volume One Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley was slated Number 2 on the single varietals list; and the 2010 J. Bookwalter Protagonist Red Wine Columbia Valley was Number 1 on the list of red blends.
Besides creating a great portfolio of wines, John believes in promoting the connection of food and wine by enhancing his customer’s tasting experience. J. Bookwalter has two tasting rooms: in Woodinville and Richland. The Woodinville Tasting Studio has an expansive patio where on weekends, weather permitting, its Roundabout Café offers appetizers, hot sandwiches, and salads that pair nicely with the Bookwalter portfolio. The Richland tasting room has a full restaurant, JBistro, which serves the freshest, organic, local ingredients possible. The food philosophy at J. Bookwalter is to focus on the people who grow its food and the environment in which it is grown, and a higher quality product will inevitably be produced.
JBisto’s Executive Chef Mark Schwegel, who has lived in the Tri-Cities his entire life, believes in creating a meaningful farm-to-table experience. "Talking to the farmers at our local farmers’ market inspires me," Chef Mark says, "I, in turn, want to inspire our guests. It’s amazing the way local ingredients enhance the wines and vice versa."
An Interview with Owner/Winemaker John Bookwalter
T&T: How involved are you in the day-to-day winemaking?
JB: Day to day winemaking is a formula that we—my consultants and I—have developed over 17 vintages since I have been involved with the winery. I personally do not handle all the physical activities of winemaking day to day. However, all the key decisions and directives—from what vineyards and coopers to work with, to when to harvest and how we handle our wines through the winemaking and aging process—are made by my assistant winemaker and myself.
T&T: How does this involvement lead you to marketing your wines?
JB: I can see how our wines are evolving from the vineyard through the cellar and by observing this evolution I craft my message about each vintage, vineyard, and wine. Essentially, I am creating individual stories about each wine. Sharing that detail with our clients is single-handedly the most compelling information I can impart. It helps us forge and create those connections and long-term relationships to our wines and winery.
T&T: How important are your tasting room customers to your business?
JB: They’re vital. We are here purely for the enjoyment and satisfaction of our clients. Yes we need to make a living at this, but without our tasting room guests, we simply do not exist. Frankly, without them this business would be more boring than selling glue (sorry glue sales people).
What to Buy Wines
'12 Doubleplot Chardonnay - $38
Asian pear, honeydew, lavender,butterscotch, candied lemons
'11 Protagonist - $55
Raspberries, cherries, plum, truffle, cocoa, graphite
'11 Volume Two - $75
Plum, red and black cherries, currant, vanilla, toffee
SPECIAL NOTES
Private tastings by appointment, restaurant, weddings and receptions, winemaker/owner on site, wine club discounts and events.
Touring & Tasting is a media company that produces a wine and travel magazine and is also partner in the Hitched Wine Club.
In the spring of 2009, John partnered with winemaker Claude Gros. Claude has earned great respect from Robert Parker, who considers him one of "two of the finest winemaking consultants." John couldn’t agree more, pointing to the fact that Bookwalter wines routinely receive high scores. Recently, two of the wines were lauded on Seattle Met Magazine’s list of Top 100 Washington Wines: the 2010 J. Bookwalter Volume One Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley was slated Number 2 on the single varietals list; and the 2010 J. Bookwalter Protagonist Red Wine Columbia Valley was Number 1 on the list of red blends.
Besides creating a great portfolio of wines, John believes in promoting the connection of food and wine by enhancing his customer’s tasting experience. J. Bookwalter has two tasting rooms: in Woodinville and Richland. The Woodinville Tasting Studio has an expansive patio where on weekends, weather permitting, its Roundabout Café offers appetizers, hot sandwiches, and salads that pair nicely with the Bookwalter portfolio. The Richland tasting room has a full restaurant, JBistro, which serves the freshest, organic, local ingredients possible. The food philosophy at J. Bookwalter is to focus on the people who grow its food and the environment in which it is grown, and a higher quality product will inevitably be produced.
JBisto’s Executive Chef Mark Schwegel, who has lived in the Tri-Cities his entire life, believes in creating a meaningful farm-to-table experience. "Talking to the farmers at our local farmers’ market inspires me," Chef Mark says, "I, in turn, want to inspire our guests. It’s amazing the way local ingredients enhance the wines and vice versa."
An Interview with Owner/Winemaker John BookwalterT&T: How involved are you in the day-to-day winemaking?
JB: Day to day winemaking is a formula that we—my consultants and I—have developed over 17 vintages since I have been involved with the winery. I personally do not handle all the physical activities of winemaking day to day. However, all the key decisions and directives—from what vineyards and coopers to work with, to when to harvest and how we handle our wines through the winemaking and aging process—are made by my assistant winemaker and myself.
T&T: How does this involvement lead you to marketing your wines?
JB: I can see how our wines are evolving from the vineyard through the cellar and by observing this evolution I craft my message about each vintage, vineyard, and wine. Essentially, I am creating individual stories about each wine. Sharing that detail with our clients is single-handedly the most compelling information I can impart. It helps us forge and create those connections and long-term relationships to our wines and winery.
T&T: How important are your tasting room customers to your business?
JB: They’re vital. We are here purely for the enjoyment and satisfaction of our clients. Yes we need to make a living at this, but without our tasting room guests, we simply do not exist. Frankly, without them this business would be more boring than selling glue (sorry glue sales people).
What to Buy Wines'12 Doubleplot Chardonnay - $38
Asian pear, honeydew, lavender,butterscotch, candied lemons
'11 Protagonist - $55
Raspberries, cherries, plum, truffle, cocoa, graphite
'11 Volume Two - $75
Plum, red and black cherries, currant, vanilla, toffee
SPECIAL NOTES
Private tastings by appointment, restaurant, weddings and receptions, winemaker/owner on site, wine club discounts and events.
Touring & Tasting is a media company that produces a wine and travel magazine and is also partner in the Hitched Wine Club.
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